So after all the reading still didn't realize the 436 didn't have a charger

[lawman210]

Trying to read everything and everything about the 436 and 536 that sometimes you over look the small incidentals. U boxed and played with my 436 yesterday and finally killed the batteries. Went to charge it and realize there is no charger. Duh I know it's been talked about now that I think back. So here is what I found in my misc drawer. It's a retractable cord and a generic power box that lets you plug a USB into it. Seems to be charging fine. I will let it charge the estimated time and then check battery voltage. I am sure the cord will be ok just not sure if the power box has enough power to charge the batteries fully. Just in case I bought what you see in pic 3. They are 2400 mah "ion" not sure if they are as good as my energizer 2700 mah rechargeable but atleast they are different brand so I can keep them dedicated for scanner use.

Lastly I found this at the local auto part store. It's ok. It had a pop up dome for extra base. It's rechargeable using the mini USB plug and has a volume dial.

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[NYPDAUX]

Nice setup

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[SCPD]

It will charge the Battery's only if the Scanner is off and it will asked you if you want to charge it or not.
In general its better to charge the Battery's outside the Scanner.

 

[lawman210]

That's what I thought. Just thought it odd to include rechargeable batteries for a unit when it's not recommended to charge them through the unit. Seems they could of saved a few dollars by putting regular batteries or broke even by supplying an AC power supply and letting the end user go buy rechargeables if he wanted at a later date

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[Hit_Factor]

I'm using the duracell ion rechargeables as well. One set seems to last all day. The way I understand it, the ion model holds it's charge longer in storage compared to the regular nimh battery.

UPman suggest using the built in charging through usb is OK. So the 'not recommended' comment doesn't quite jive with what I have read.

As for best practice for longest service life and fullest charge. I have read that nimh batteries charged in series (this is how the scanner charges) will not charge to their fullest potential. This might mean 6 hours of runtime vs. 7 hours. There are chargers out there that intelligently charge batteries individually. The one I use is about 8 amps.

Just a note on usb charging. USB 1.0 spec maximum current is 500 mA. Thats about 20 times less current than an intelligent nimh charger. My guess is the limit for charging current in the scanner matches the USB 1.0 spec. I have not measured current when using a 2.1 amp USB charger plugged into the scanner so I don't know for sure.

 

[lawman210]

Cool that's for all the info. I think the new duracell charger and battery setup is going to work fine. Best of all I got it for free. Seems I had points on my Rite aid wellness card. I bought the charger and 6 batteries 2 bags of tootsies rolls and a few other things. I zipped my debit card through and not only did it not charge me it told the girl to give me .27 cents back. That was awesome. As for the not recommended to charge the batteries from the unit I think the statement might have been made to say why use your 500.00 scanner to charge batteries needlessly. I guess maybe wearing out something in the scanner. Just a guess

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[jackj]

Why take the chance that a battery will leak under charge and ruin you scanner's battery compartment? There is also a slight chance of a battery exploding or catching fire although I wouldn't really worry about that.

 

[KCoax]

My PSR-800 got so hot it melted bubbles into the product sticker on the back of the unit. I don't remember having it set to charge. I did have it on a usb for several weeks. If you want to save money in the long run with batteries a charger that discharges the battery and can read each batteries voltage is a great addition.

 

[mrkelso]

I get approx 8 to 10 hours on eneloop 1900 Mah batteries. I charge them outside of the scanner.

 

[lawman210]

Ok I had the unit charge the batteries for the 14 hour limit. Put them on a digital Meter and they were reading 1.57 volts. Not under load

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[kd7eir]

My 436 came with a USB cable, why did you choose to use a different cable?

 

[lawman210]

Because its a retractable cord. Smaller and easier to carry if needed

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[kd7eir]

I misread your post to say that you did not receive a USB cable with the radio.

Sent from my fertile imagination.